EFF disciplinary hearing starts

EFF members disrupted the National Assembly on Thursday 21 August 2014.

The disciplinary hearing of 20 Economic Freedom Fighters MPs for disrupting President Jacob Zuma’s question time in the National Assembly began in Parliament on Tuesday morning.

Before charges could be put to the group, EFF leader Julius Malema announced he would make a representation on behalf of them all, asking that the charges be dropped.

“I will ask the committee not to proceed with the matter,” Malema said.

However, Lemias Mashile, chair of Parliament’s powers and privileges committee, ruled that the MPs should first hear the charges before Malema be allowed to make his submission.

The hearing was scheduled to take place behind closed doors, but EFF spokesman Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, one of those to be charged, requested that it be open to the media and broadcast on the Parliamentary video channel.

The hearing would be open to the media, Mashile said in a statement.

– Sapa

Follow our live report of the EFF disciplinary proceedings by Parliament’s Powers and Privileges Committee or follow @CitiReporter on Twitter.